Queen Elizabeth II prefers Prince Andrew to stay in hiding amid rape scandal: report

Prince Andrew has refused to appear in public as he faces accusations of "rape in the first degree" in a New York court and Queen Elizabeth II would want him to stay hidden for as long as possible.

The Duke of York is said to be the favourite of the monarch among her other sons Prince Charles and Prince Edward. She even welcomed him into her Balmoral estate where he could lie low amid the scandal. According to royal biographer Angela Levin, this is because the 95-year old "adores" him and "enjoys his company."

The "Harry: A Biography of a Prince" author believes that Queen Elizabeth II even backs the decision to keep the embattled royal away from public duties. She told Julia Hartley-Brewer in an interview on TalkRadio on Tuesday that Her Majesty does not see a return to official duties for Prince Andrew.

"She said he couldn't be...I think that she won't overrule what Charles says," Levin said adding that the rest of the British royals also do not want the 61-year old to resume his public duties.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre accused Prince Andrew of rape and sexual abuse when she was still a minor. She claimed she was lent to the royal by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for sexual favours. Her lawyers said they have served the papers to the duke, but his legal team contested this and said they did not hand him the documents properly. They also called the allegations "baseless."

Judge Lewis Kaplan has since ordered a week-long delay to the proceedings following a court hearing on Monday. Meanwhile, the prince has remained in hiding at his mother's Balmoral estate where he is said to be waiting until the case runs its course.

"He said a couple of days ago he was waiting for it to all blow over. It shows how naïve and arrogant he is because it's not going to blow over," Levin reacted, adding that no one thinks that Prince Andrew is ever going to return to public duties at all.